Ford Announces Hybrid Police Car

The new Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan was first meant to be developed as a Ford Fusion until engineers upgraded all the necessary features, offering it the law enforcement treatment.

The new hybrid police vehicle is equipped with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine which is fueled by gasoline, which is paired with an electric engine powered by an ion battery of 1.4 kilowatts.

And now, Ford Motor Co. has announced the first pursuit-rated hybrid police cruiser. The Hybrid will be tested by the Michigan State Police and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department later this year for an evaluation on its pursuit rating. When higher speeds are needed, the vehicle's regular engine works in conjunction with the battery motor. "With Fords now making up some two-thirds of the police cars in the nation", he says, "They trust us".

Police cars spend much of their days idling by the side of a road, and that's where the hybrid has a true advantage, Ford said.

To help achieve such high amounts of efficiency, the auto uses its electric system to power the electronics while the vehicle is stationary and shuts off the internal combustion engine. After resting, the engine automatically fires up for two minutes to recharge the battery.

At $2.50 per gallon for gas, a police department would save $3,877 per year in fuel costs per vehicle, Ford says. The price of the hybrid, available in the fall of 2018, isn't being released just yet.

According to Los Angeles Police Department chief Charlie Beck, "Our mission to create safe and healthy communities in Los Angeles is achieved through sustainable approaches in community policing, and that includes embracing new technologies".

One city that's interested is Los Angeles.

The pursuit-rated Fusion Hybrid is projected to receive an EPA-estimated combined gas mileage of 38 mpg, versus the 42-mpg combined rating for the civilian version on sale today at Ford dealers.

The latest Ford police vehicle, which will hit the streets in the summer of 2018, can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 8.7 seconds, matching the speed of the old Crown Vic, said Brett Hinds, chief engineer of Ford's electrified powertrain systems.